Shadows
by dreamsofyesterday1
Summary: Part eight of the Robyn series. Sportacus recieves an unexpected visitor and dangerous strangers come to the town in search of Kit and an old vendetta. Rated M now due to violent scenes. Warning: Cliffhanger ending.
1. Caught in the act

Shadows

Disclaimer: all usual disclaimers apply. Robyn, Kit and Ché are my own characters.

Part eight of the Robyn series.

Bessie stood next to the bed in the spare room and impatiently waited for the occupant to give her an answer. She had her arms folded and was tapping her foot on the ground. Rolling her eyes she repeated once again, "I said, get up it's time for breakfast. This is your last chance before I make you get up."

Bessie's warning fell on deaf ears and she left the room in a huff.

Once the bedroom door had been closed Kit threw back the blanket and looked around before smiling at his well hidden and fully dressed bed fellow. She smiled back and he lowered his head to kiss her.

"Is she gone?" Robyn whispered when the kiss was over.

Kit looked around again, "not for long. You should go before we get caught."

Robyn nodded and then looked sympathetically at Kit, "she'll hurt you."

"I know but I'm a big strong boy. I'll see you after breakfast." Kit waggled both eyebrows and then kissed Robyn again. He rolled over to let Robyn out from underneath him and she climbed out of the window after leaving the bed to make her escape.

Hearing footsteps in the hall Kit rolled back onto his stomach and buried his joyfully smiling face into his pillow. He heard the door open and the footsteps approach him and then stop next to the bed. Something very cold and hard was dropped onto his bare back and he nearly literally hit the ceiling. He fell out of the open window onto the ground concealing his nakedness behind a bush when he saw his attacker was Bessie. Bessie had a plastic beaker full of ice in her hand and was struggling to contain her laughter at seeing Kit react in such a way to having an ice cube dropped on his back. Had she known he was naked under the blanket she would have used an alternative method of removing him from the bed.

Kit turned sharply when he heard someone wolf whistle him and saw Trixie waving at him. He snarled at her and awkwardly tried to conceal his bottom while keeping what was in front hidden from Bessie's view. Becoming impatient with being stared at from the back and front he pulled off a few branches of bush and covering all his vital parts with them ran through the front door of the house.

Running back into his bedroom he rather unceremoniously pulled Bessie out of the room and slammed the door behind her. Bessie continued laughing and could hear Trixie's laughter over her own. Shaking her head while still laughing she made her way back into the kitchen.

"What was that all about?" The Mayor asked when Bessie walked into the kitchen. He'd been rather startled to see Kit running through the house naked with bits of bush covering him.

Bessie stilled her laughter, "I got him out of bed. I warned him that I'd get him out of bed if he didn't do it himself. I didn't know he would react like that though or that he was naked."

The Mayor shook his head, "I do hope you haven't upset the poor boy too much. He's only been here three weeks and is still adjusting to settling in one place. If anything goes wrong I'm holding you personally responsible."

Bessie was about to retort but was interrupted by the sound of a door opening. Kit could be heard grumbling as he walked down the hallway. Nodding to the Mayor Kit walked out of the house and shut the door firmly behind him. He had his clothes on this time.

Kit stomped over to a nearby wall and sat heavily on it. He was still grumbling when Robyn came to sit beside him. She was smiling and Kit guessed she'd heard or seen what had happened.

Robyn nudged Kit's arm. "I thought you said you were a big strong boy. As far as I knew that didn't involve screaming like a girl." Robyn teased and laughed when Kit looked at her through dangerously narrowed eyes.

A slow, devastating and incredibly mischievous smile crossed Kit's face and without any warning pushed Robyn backwards off the wall onto the soft grass behind. He heard Robyn laugh as she hit the ground and looking behind him smiled the same mischievous smile. Robyn smiled back and was still laughing when Kit pretended to drop himself off the wall but kept catching himself before he fell off. Giving enough time for Robyn to move he pushed himself off the wall and landed on the ground next to her. Before Robyn could escape he rolled himself on top of her and pinned her gently to the ground.

Robyn laughed at her lover's antics and was feeling extremely good being underneath Kit. Their relationship so far had gone no further than kissing and both were as inexperienced as the other but it didn't stop little games like this.

Kit smiled dangerously at Robyn and was about to lower his head to kiss her when he was interrupted by a familiar looking pair of blue boots coming into view. He closed his eyes and shaking his head got up and pulled Robyn up with him. He knew yet again he was in trouble.

Sportacus stood with his arms folded and with a semi stern look on his face directed at the pair. Both looked down under Sportacus' glare and felt a little ashamed.

"I guess I'll see you later," Robyn whispered to Kit and started to walk away.

"Robyn. This includes you. Sit down both of you, we need to talk." Sportacus ordered and both obeyed. "I don't mean to seem overbearing or anything but I think you should play things down a little bit. Before either of you say anything I know you've been sharing a bed with Kit, Robyn, and that Kit has been undressed. You've been dressed I know and I'm glad of that but I don't like it. Without sounding like an old man that doesn't understand you're both walking on very fine territory and I really hope you know what you're doing. I don't want accidents happening or anyone getting hurt. I'm sorry to say this but if things don't change a little bit I'll have to separate or supervise you when you're alone together."

Kit and Robyn both looked up at Sportacus with hurt and surprised expressions.

"I'm sorry guys but that's the way things are." Sportacus continued. "Are we agreed on this?"

Looking at each other and then Sportacus they nodded reluctantly. With all agreed Sportacus nodded to the two indicating they should stand and they did so. Looking like scorned children the lovers walked away.

Sportacus stood on the same spot for some while arguing with himself whether he'd been too harsh or not. He knew it had to be done but the thought made him feel no better. Both were young and inexperienced but it was just as dangerous as them being experienced and he didn't want any unfortunate accidents to occur. Their love was still blossoming and he didn't want to see it harmed by anything so early.

Finally concluding that what he'd done was right he continued his exercises. Little did Sportacus know that he'd have an unexpected visitor that day.


	2. Mind the tree

A huge airship hove into view over the mountains and cast a shadow over half the town. It was easily three or four times bigger than Sportacus' airship and everyone left their houses to see it. They all watched in amazement as the airship came to a stop in the air and a big ladder fell from it. What surprised them the most was the size of the occupant of the airship. Even from the air the occupant looked massive and the closer he came to the ground the bigger he seemed to get and was an imposing figure indeed.

The giant reached the ground in no time at all and upon turning round received an enthusiastic welcome from Sportacus.

"Ché! What are you doing here?" Sportacus asked slapping the larger man on the back.

"I thought I'd come and visit my old friend. I had nothing to do so I thought I'd drop by. I can go if I'm not welcome." Ché replied returning the slap.

"Of course you're welcome Mr Ché. I'm Mayor Meanswell. Have you known Sportacus long?" The Mayor enquired seeing that the two were obviously firm friends.

"A very long time Mr Mayor. Too long for me to count without making myself look old." Ché laughed in response. "And please, call me Ché."

"Very well, Ché." The Mayor replied and shook Ché's hand which was the size of a shovel.

"You must introduce me to the rest of the people here." Ché commented, "They all seem rather interested in me and I hate to be at a disposition of not knowing anyone."

The Mayor nodded his head a little embarrassed that he'd forgotten everyone else; he was still trying to get over how tall the man in front of him was.

The Mayor pointed to each person going from left to right, "This is Bessie, Stingy, Trixie, Stephanie, Pixel, Ziggy, Sportacus, Robyn and our newest resident Kit."

Ché shook everyone's hand and turned to Robyn, "You must be the niece I've heard so much about. To be perfectly honest little one your uncle does you no justice."

Robyn smiled and coloured a little, "he's never been very good at that. He does you no justice either. I really have to ask, how tall are you?"

Ché chuckled, "I'm eight foot six and a half inches tall."

"Wow," was all a stunned Robyn could say.

Ché chuckled. He had this reaction quite often and had no idea what the reaction would be if he was asked if he had any children.

With the time now nearing lunchtime Bessie proposed that they all have a picnic as it was a nice day and she couldn't imagine trying to get Ché into the house. Everyone agreed with this idea and Robyn went to fetch some flowers and was unsurprisingly followed closely by Kit.

Sportacus rolled his eyes and shook his head. He knew that the two had taken what he'd said on board and were highly unlikely to defy him but it still left him feeling unsure. Both of the lovers were highly vulnerable to instinct and the inevitable hormones of youth. No matter how much he protested against what he'd done Sportacus knew that eventually he'd have to stand back and let nature take its course. It was hard for him though as he still saw Robyn as a child as any guardian or parent would.

When Robyn knew that Kit was following her to the garden she smiled and built her pace up into a run challenging Kit to race her. Kit accepted the challenge and easily caught up with Robyn. Robyn turned to look at Kit and stuck her tongue out at him. Kit tried to tell Robyn something but it was too late, she ran head long into a tree and fell to the ground in a heap.

"Princess, are you ok?" Kit managed to say while suppressing laughter.

Robyn turned her head and looked at Kit evilly, "no I'm not ok. That hurt. Stop laughing at me and help me up."

Kit held out a hand for Robyn to grab and was still laughing. Clearing his throat he looked at Robyn with mirthful eyes, "I'm sorry princess. It was just funny."

"Do you see me laughing?" Robyn asked with a large amount of indignation in her voice.

"No but the tree is," Kit laughed in response.

Not wanting to say anything more for fear of saying something she might regret Robyn stormed off towards her garden. Having had an experience of Robyn's temper before Kit should have known better than to follow her but he did so anyway.

"Oh come on princess. Calm down. If you're not careful you'll walk into another tree." Kit called after his lover's retreating back.

Robyn turned round sharply her eyes shooting daggers at Kit, "Maybe I should walk into another tree so you can laugh at me some more. I guess its funnier seeing me get hurt than it is caring about it."

Kit's laughter stopped and he frowned; "Now you're being silly."

"Silly?" Robyn shouted, "Well if I'm so silly you can pick the flowers and take them back. I might as well stay here as I might be silly enough to walk into a tree again." Saying this Robyn sat on the ground in a massive sulk.

Kit shook his head in exasperation and did as he was told. He wasn't angry enough to take any flowers from Robyn's special reserve which she kept for Robbie. He made a point to walk past Robyn and saw she was still sulking. Shaking his head he carried on walking and in a few minutes arrived where the picnic had been set up.

He tossed the flowers down on the blanket and sat heavily, sulking himself.

No one needed to ask what happened, they'd all heard the argument. Everyone thought it wise to approach neither Robyn nor Kit as both were in bad moods and the situation could easily be worsened.


	3. He has no shame

Once he'd finished his lunch Sportacus went in search of Robyn whilst Ché dealt with Kit. Sportacus found Robyn where she'd been sitting when Kit had left her and she was still sulking. He was saddened to see that yet again the lover's tempers had come between them and was determined to see their relationship survive. Sportacus sat down next to Robyn and sighed.

"What's up with you?" Robyn asked with a slight hint of irritation in her voice.

"I don't know. Maybe I just wanted to sigh." Sportacus replied ignoring Robyn's irritation. "You weren't at the picnic," Sportacus continued.

Robyn shrugged, "I didn't want to sit with that unfeeling, uncaring, thoughtless boar."

Sportacus was a little taken aback by this but didn't let it show, "You can't talk about Ché like that. It's not fair." Sportacus commented knowing exactly who Robyn was talking about.

"I wasn't talking about him. I was talking about Kit. He laughed at me when I ran into the tree."

"You'd laugh at him if he did the same wouldn't you?" Sportacus asked with both eyebrows raised.

Robyn looked at him for the first time since they'd been speaking with a look that said, 'do you really believe that?'

Sportacus just shrugged in response. It was Robyn that sighed this time.

Kit's mood had been greatly lifted by Ché. The man had a lot of experience of romance and the various problems associated with it. He had been married for some thirty five years and had sixteen children, twenty grandchildren and six great grandchildren and had had a lot of practice in the art of making relationships work. Kit was sincerely sorry about laughing at Robyn and wanted to make things right between them but wasn't sure how.

Estimating that Robyn was of a similar temper to Kit, Ché suggested that Kit woo her with simple romance. He agreed with the young man that he'd let him spend the night alone with Robyn in his airship. What the two lovers needed most the was chance to have some time alone away from the prying eyes of their friends and Sportacus, that way they could feel free and talk personally.

Convincing Sportacus that this was a good idea and that the two youngsters would behave themselves would be a tricky task but Ché was sure he could work round him. Getting Robyn to go into the airship would also be a hard task; Ché gathered that she was as stubborn as her uncle could sometimes be which was unfortunate in a situation like this.

Kit and Ché devised a plan as to how they would work around both Robyn and Sportacus. Kit volunteered to take on Sportacus and Ché, Robyn. Finalising arrangements each man went off to accomplish their set tasks.

Sportacus had managed to bring Robyn out of her sulk with some difficulty and was now chatting and walking with Robyn through her flourishing flower garden. He was proud of her talents and was impressed with how well her flowers grew and the attention she paid to them. It was easy to see why Robyn would spend so much time there when she was feeling down, it was extremely peaceful in her little corner of the town and one could easily imagine being in another place entirely. Robyn had recently dug some new beds for the seeds she'd gotten for her birthday when her plans to rearrange the garden didn't work out.

The peacefulness in the garden was shattered when Sportacus' crystal flared into life signalling trouble. Nodding a farewell to Robyn he ran and flipped towards the trouble. It only took a matter of seconds for Sportacus to reach the scene of the trouble and when he got there he saw Kit stuck in a tree.

"What are you doing up there?" Sportacus asked looking up into the tree and quickly assessing how he'd get Kit down.

Kit smiled sheepishly, "I was just trying to enjoy the view."

Sportacus shook his head and jumped up into the tree and effectually carried Kit back down.

Once Kit had been placed back on his feet he smiled at Sportacus and putting his hands behind his back asked, "Can I spend the evening with the fair maiden Robyn in Ché's airship? Before you say anything I was kind of thinking, alone."

Sportacus knew exactly what Kit was asking and shook his head, "no, no, no, no, and no. I won't allow it."

In response Kit gave Sportacus his biggest and best puppy dog look which was guaranteed to melt the heart of the coldest person.

Sportacus resolutely looked away from Kit; he wouldn't be dragged into the same old trick Robyn used frequently when she wanted something. Kit's puppy dog look was better than Robyn's but Sportacus wouldn't falter.

'Tough guy, huh?' Kit thought to himself when he noticed he was being ignored and went on to plan B.

Throwing himself on both knees Kit begged Sportacus to say yes. He kissed Sportacus' boots and wailed incessantly in a gesture to bring Sportacus round to the idea. All Sportacus did was stare at him blankly.

All the noise Kit was making created a lot of attention and everyone looked out of their windows to see what was going on. Several of them laughed at Kit's antics and the look on Sportacus' face that showed he had no idea what to do.

Realising that the begging, grovelling and wailing was getting him nowhere Kit latched himself firmly onto Sportacus leg. Sportacus tried to shake him off but Kit wouldn't budge and before he knew it he could feel something hard and cold around the lower portion of his leg. Looking down in horror Sportacus saw one end of a pair of handcuffs attached to his ankle and the other end attached to Kit's wrist. Kit just smiled up at him innocently and waggled his eyebrows.

Ché had convinced to Robyn to meet Kit in his airship and was on his way to tell him with Robyn when they heard the commotion Kit was making. They looked at one another and then ran to see what was going on.

When Ché and Robyn saw what was happening they both burst out laughing. Kit had only just handcuffed himself to Sportacus when they arrived and Sportacus looked extremely unhappy about it.

"That is a man with no shame," Ché stated shaking his head.

Robyn nodded in agreement, "no pride either,"

Ché chuckled in answer and nodded. "I think we ought to do something before someone gets hurt."

"Leave it. Sportacus won't hold out much longer."

It seemed that Robyn was right. A thought had struck Sportacus that he could spend the rest of his life with Kit hanging onto his ankle and it was all he needed to change his mind. Besides he was also starting to need the toilet and couldn't see himself taking Kit with him. With the utmost exasperation he shook his head and looked down in annoyance at Kit.

"Ok! Fine!" Sportacus exclaimed, "You can spend the night with Robyn alone. Now will you get these things off?" Sportacus asked pointing to the handcuffs.

Kit smiled triumphantly and then his smile faded and he fumbled in his pocket with his spare hand, "I can't find the key."

Sportacus opened his eyes and mouth wide in total shock and then almost deliberately hit his head on a tree in exasperation when Kit undid his end of the handcuffs with a flick of his wrist and said, "just kidding,"

Kit then deftly undid the handcuffs round Sportacus' ankle and ran off before Sportacus could do anything to retaliate. Kit's laughter could be heard on the other side of town.

All Sportacus could do in reaction to Kit's laughter was shake his head. 'Clowns,' he thought to himself and rolled his eyes before making his way back to his airship.


	4. Attack in the dark

Robyn entered Ché's airship and gasped in awe. The whole floor was covered in candles save for a small space in the middle of the airship and the area where the bed was. Candles also hung from the ceiling and the sight was beautiful.

"There are three hundred if you're wondering," A gentle voice said from behind her.

She turned and saw Kit standing behind her. "It's beautiful," Robyn whispered still awed by the sight.

"Not as beautiful as you," Kit smiled and tucked Robyn's hair behind her ears.

Robyn's breath caught in her throat when Kit kissed her with deliberate slowness and tenderness. The whole world seemed to melt away when his lips met with hers and she didn't care about anything. Kit pulled back a little and looked deeply into Robyn's eyes. The flames of the candles around them reflected in her eyes and made them look like galaxies full of stars. He lost himself in those eyes and couldn't work out why he'd tried to leave them three weeks before. He could only conclude that he was a fool of enormous proportions.

Robyn was all he could ever have desired and more than he could have imagined. To him she was perfect and precious. Sure she had a temper but so did he and her temper was only brought on by indignation. Kit was sure he could see himself spending the rest of life with Robyn and hoped that they'd grow old together and that their love would never fade or falter. The depth of his feelings for her were more than he'd ever felt for anyone and in a small way it scared him. The thought of losing her scared him as much as the thought that she might not feel for him as he did for her.

Kit's thoughts were brought to a halt by his stomach rumbling and he smiled sheepishly. "We better eat dinner before it gets cold."

Robyn looked around but couldn't see the dinner anywhere.

Seeing Robyn's questioning look he stepped aside and in the windowed section of the airship in front of the piloting section there were two cushions and two plates with food on. Two glasses had been filled with fruit juice and were placed in front of the plates. Taking Robyn's hand Kit led her to the cushions making sure she was careful when stepping in between the candles. Once Robyn had sat down on her cushion Kit went to sit on his cushion which was facing hers. Both ate in contented silence and looked out over the town which looked beautiful in the dark with all the street lamps lit.

"Where did you get all the candles?" Robyn asked when she'd finished eating.

Kit took a sip of his juice and replied, "The basement of the town hall. I asked the Mayor if he had any and he said if he did they'd be there. He had boxes full. Not bad for an unfeeling, uncaring, thoughtless boar is it?"

Robyn chuckled slightly and looked away a little, "who told you I said that?"

"Ché. I deserved it though. I shouldn't have laughed at you; I just have a twisted sense of humour."

"I noticed." Robyn answered smiling.

Kit smiled in response glad that his apology had been accepted. His smile widening Kit then said, "Let's just agree that if I'm an unfeeling, uncaring and thoughtless boar, you're ugly."

Robyn laughed loudly at this and Kit soon joined her. Their laughter stopped abruptly when they heard a dog howling loudly.

Kit looked through the window and seemed panicked, "that wasn't Skip." He stated and his eyes then fell on a dog walking through town. He recognised the dog instantly and a gnawing feeling entered the pit of his stomach.

"What's wrong?" Robyn asked seeing that Kit was startled.

"Stay here Princess. Whatever you see or hear just stay put. If you leave here you'll be in danger."

Having said this Kit climbed down the ladder and disappeared into the darkness leaving Robyn more confused than ever. She tried to spot him but to no avail.

Kit wandered through the darkness trying to find the dog he'd seen from the airship. Shattering the silence of the night he whistled and received a bark in answer. The dog walked out from behind a wall and waited patiently.

"You're Snatch aren't you? Where's your mummy gone? Where's she hiding?" Kit questioned waiting for Snatch to make some kind of response.

Before Kit could do anything Snatch started to run towards him and he was forced back against a tree. Kit shimmied round the tree to avoid Snatch and was grasped by a strong pair of arms that held him firmly round his chest and he could feel cold steel touching his neck.

"Move and I'll slit your throat." A voice hissed in his ear.

"I wondered where you were hiding Meat Head." Kit replied addressing his attacker.

Meat Head chuckled, "We were wondering the same thing about you. Aurora has missed you Kitten, it's a shame she'd not here to see you get what you deserve."

Meat Head was just about to draw the knife he was holding across Kit's throat doing as he had threatened when he was knocked to the ground and hit his head on a stone. Before he could see who his attacker was his world went black. Kit was also thrown to the ground and was quickly helped up.

"Princess?" Kit asked rubbing his hand across his throat making sure that everything was ok.

"Who is that?" Robyn enquired pointing to the prone figure on the ground.

Kit shook his head, "I'll explain later. Right now we have to move."

Kit grabbed Robyn's arm and ran with her back through town. They could hear a dog's pant behind them and knew they were being chased.

The lights in the Mayor's house were still on and it seemed like everyone was there. The Mayor was holding a dinner party to welcome of Ché to the town which also served to keep Sportacus occupied so he couldn't spy on Kit and Robyn. Picking up their pace they ran to the Mayor's house and got through and closed the door before Snatch could get in also.

"What's going on!" Bessie asked seeing that the two had obviously been running at some distance and speed and were now trying to catch their breath.

Kit managed to get his breath back quickly and replied, "We were just being chased by a Doberman Pincer with an attitude problem. A Doberman Pincer named Snatch that I happen to know personally."

"Kit was attacked outside before the dog chased us." Robyn explained. "A man had a knife to his throat; if I hadn't gotten there when I did Kit wouldn't be here now."

Everyone gasped when they heard the news but Kit raised a hand stilling any questions he knew he'd inevitably have to answer.

"The guy that attacked me is known as Meat Head. He's one member of a five member gang known as the Shadows." Kit explained.

"Why would they attack you?" The Mayor asked not wanting to know the answer.

"They want me dead." Kit replied simply.


	5. The vendetta

The room fell silent after Kit's statement. No one knew what to say or think. Each of them realised that they didn't know as much about the young man as they thought they did and all were curious as to why someone would want him dead. Kit had never spoken of any enemies or friends for that matter. It was highly feasible that drifting for so long and meeting so many different people would generate some enemies along the way or rivals but no one that would want to go as far as to kill him.

"There was a boy once," Kit began breaking the silence, "I think he was eleven years old at the time. He'd been given a food package by the local refuge wherever local was at the time. They couldn't give him a bed so they gave him food instead which was more welcome. Even though he was starving he didn't eat the food right away and thanking the man that gave him the food went off to the valleys near the town. I don't recall the name of the town but it was in the south east and had valleys all around it with a big cliff face at the bottom of which was a ravine.

He walked along a valley which was lined with a small thicket and he was about to eat his food when these six people came out from the trees. He later learnt from experience that they were the Shadows." Kit stopped to make sure everyone was following him and was pleased to see that they were all listening attentively.

"Go on." Bessie requested.

Nodding Kit continued, "The people surrounded him. There was nowhere for him to run and they demanded that he give them his food. This kid was literally five days if not less from starving to death and he refused. One of the six wouldn't take no for an answer and he broke from the circle and ambled towards this kid. This guy was twenty three stone easily and was as wide as he was tall. He tried to grab the kid but the kid weaved round him. None of the others did anything; they just watched and got out of the way when the fat guy came close to them.

The kid managed to weave around this guy for quite some time and was holding onto his food package as tightly as he could. At one point the kid weaved the wrong way and ended up close to the edge of the ravine and would have fallen over the edge if he hadn't have thrown his food package between the big guy's legs and crawled after it. The big guy was too slow to react to this and stumbled and fell over the edge.

He must have fallen a foot or maybe less before he managed to grab hold of the cliff. The kid saw him fall and went to help him. He told the big guy to grab his hand and he'd pull him up. This starving eleven year old kid was going to try to pull up a twenty three stone man on his own."

Robyn put her hand on Kit's shoulder. Kit was obviously distressed recounting this part of the story.

Placing his hand on Robyn's and taking a deep breath Kit pressed on with his story, "The big guy grabbed the kid's hand and he was screaming. The big guy was screaming for the kid to help him. The kid tried pulling this guy up but he was too heavy, he kept trying but it wasn't working. He shouted at the others to help him but they just stood and watched.

The kid was still struggling to pull the big guy up and things started to get worse. The big guy's hands were getting sweaty and the kid couldn't grip them. He tried and tried to get his grip but he couldn't. Suddenly the kid couldn't grip anymore and the big guy fell.

He bounced down the cliff where rocks jutted out and hit the ground. He was lying on the ground with a big red puddle round his head like a halo and his eyes were staring up at the sky. They were staring up to where he'd fallen from and the kid stared back.

Before the kid could move he was picked up by the scruff of the neck and then thrown to the ground a little way off from the edge of the cliff. The others started kicking, stamping on and punching this kid. The kid kept crying out to tell them to stop, that it wasn't his fault and that they were hurting him but they didn't stop.

What seemed like ages later they stopped kicking the kid and tossed him in a bush leaving him for dead." Kit finished his story and wiped the tears from his eyes.

Everyone had shed tears while the story was being told and a silence filled with reflection followed at its conclusion. Robyn hugged Kit tightly and he hugged back pain filling him from head to foot.

"You were the kid weren't you?" Robyn asked tenderly knowing the answer already.

Kit looked up at Robyn with tear filled eyes and nodded. Everyone saw the nod and their sorrow increased knowing that the poor creature in the story was in fact their friend. The story had been bad enough but knowing who it was that had been beaten so badly and had struggled against the odds to pull up a man twice his weight made it worse.

They all knew that Kit would have faced hardships in his fifteen years of drifting but none had imagined anything like what they'd been told.

Taking in a deep breath to still his shattered emotions Kit spoke with unusual evenness for someone in such turmoil, "If I hadn't have been found by a hiker I'd have either frozen to death or starved. I was taken straight to a hospital and had to go through ten hours of emergency surgery. They had to put everything back where it had to go and had to pump loads of blood into me. I shouldn't have survived the trip to the hospital or the surgery but against all odds I made it through both.

I was hooked up to very machine possible and was put on numerous drips and things. I was on twenty four hour watch and all that kind of stuff. When I regained consciousness something like three days later I heard a Doctor say to a nurse, 'Don't expect this kid to live. He should've died already. Just keep your eye on him and do what you have to do when it happens.' The Doctor was wrong, obviously. I'm still here today and disgustingly healthy but that may not last very long.

The reason the Shadows are after me is that I didn't die that day. They attacked me that day with the full intention of killing me. For a while I didn't know why but it hit me that they wanted to kill the big guy themselves but I did the job for them.

Three years after I'd left the hospital they saw me and recognised me. They've been hounding me ever since. I had no idea they'd find me here, for ages I've always been one or two steps ahead of them. There were rumours circulating about my early demise which I thought might have thrown them off the scent but it appears not. Someone must have seen me here and told them that the rumours were well and truly false.

The Shadows won't leave until they get what they want." Kit's explanation of events told everyone what they wanted to know.

Snatch could be heard prowling around outside and he often growled at the door challenging the occupants of the house to come out. They were being held under siege by a dog and at any other time the situation would have been almost comical. No one knew what was going to happen next and how they'd get out of this situation. No one blamed Kit for what had happened, how could they?

A sharp whistle shot through the darkness like an arrow and Snatch barked in response before running off to rejoin the person who had whistled to him. Kit got up from his chair and looked out of the window. Despite the darkness he could see a woman with close cut short hair and a long dark coat watching him. The woman smiled flashing white teeth at all that looked at her. She pointed at Kit and then drew a finger across her throat before laughing and walking away with Snatch following closely behind.

"Who was that?" Sportacus asked confused.

"Aurora." Kit replied simply, "The matriarch of the Shadows and the sister of the big guy. Not someone you want to play with."

Silence fell over the room once again. Fear filled the atmosphere and no one wanted to leave the house. The chances were that if they did none would survive this night.


	6. Daddy's here

Conversation had resumed in the kitchen and it was somewhat happier than it had been previously when Robyn re-entered the room. She sat next to Kit and rested her head on his shoulder. She found it amazing how quickly Kit could raise his own spirits and everyone else's as well. 'Being a clown definitely has its advantages,' Robyn thought to herself.

"Kit, we left the candles burning in the airship." Robyn piped up suddenly.

Kit knocked his head against the table, "you did didn't you?" he asked wryly with a wicked smile on his face, "we better go deal with it then. While we're at it everyone should be safe to go home."

Ché stood up to protest but hit his head on the ceiling and sat down again rubbing his head. The chairs had been too small for him to fit his large frame on so he'd sat on the floor which was easier for everyone. Sitting on the floor now and rubbing his slightly sore head Ché tried to protest further but heard Kit laughing at him.

Kit noticed that Ché was looking at him and stopping his laughter said, "I know its juvenile but when you hit your head you made the light shake and I found it funny."

Ché smiled at Kit and then picking the younger man up thrust him upwards making him hit his head on the ceiling, "now I can laugh," Ché smiled.

Kit glared at Ché and rubbed his head. He was a little disconcerted that Ché had picked him up as if he were a rag doll that had no weight. Making a note to himself Kit decided it would be best to watch out for Ché if he ever decided to laugh at him again. As revenge for his head and disregarding his own advice Kit landed a gentle kick on Ché's leg and ducked under the table and crawled out the other side before Ché could kick back.

"Can we get back to the candles?" Robyn intoned rolling her eyes at the juvenile antics of the two men.

Ché held up a finger remembering what he was going to say before he was interrupted by Kit, "I'll go. It's safer that way. A Doberman whatever it is will have a hard job attacking me."

Kit shook his head and sobered somewhat, "That thing is vicious and has a friend somewhere. The two of them are trained to rip anyone of any size to shreds with just one word. They'd start by attacking what they can reach and if you hit the ground they'd go for your jugular and you wouldn't get up again."

"Is there some way to distract them?" Stephanie joined, "Uncle, do you have any steaks anywhere that aren't frozen or cooked?"

The Mayor thought for a moment and then went to look in the refrigerator, "No I don't. I must have had the last one yesterday evening."

Howling and barking could be heard from outside and everyone went to the window to see what was going on. A cold dread inched its way up Robyn's spine when she noticed someone was missing, "Where's Sportacus?"

Everyone looked round in shock but Sportacus was nowhere to be seen. Ché stayed in the kitchen whilst everyone else searched the house but to no avail. Sportacus had disappeared.

"Why does he always have to play the hero?" Robyn half growled fed up to distraction with Sportacus' ways.

Kit hit a door frame in frustration, "what the hell is in that guy's head? Don't the words 'rip to pieces' mean anything to him!"

Before anyone could stop her Robyn ran out the door into the night to find Sportacus. The chill of the evening assaulted her and using all of her senses tried to locate her errant uncle. She knew that calling out for him would attract attention to herself so she moved stealthily and hoped she'd spot him soon. Voices could be heard not very far away and Robyn crept towards them keeping her hearing tuned to maximum. She was listening so attentively to the voices that she didn't notice someone coming up behind her.

Robyn tried to scream when a pair of rough hands grabbed her and tried to pull her to the ground but she couldn't. "Aren't we a pretty little thing then? Come let me play with you and show you what a man like me can do to a girl like you!" A harsh grating voice exclaimed.

The man attacking Robyn forced her onto her back and leered at her prone form as he held her wrists tightly in his hands. He was quite old but was extremely strong for someone of his years and knew exactly what he was doing. Licking his lips the man positioned himself better over the helpless girl to make what he wanted to do a lot easier but he was thrown off of her before he could do more than that.

Sportacus picked Robyn hurriedly off the ground and placed her behind him in a defensive posture. He didn't want to think of what would have happened if he hadn't have gotten there in time.

The man picked himself up off the ground and laughed at Sportacus before pulling a knife from a sheath by his side. "You'll regret that pup. I'll give you to the count of three to stand aside and hand me the girl or I'll slit your gizzards."

Without looking behind him Sportacus whispered rapidly, "Robyn, run. When he counts to two run back to the Mayor's house as fast as you can and don't stop."

"One," The old man started to count slowly.

When the man said two Robyn hesitated a little but after a push from Sportacus ran as fast as her legs would carry her. More than anything in the world she wanted Sportacus to be ok and to catch up with her.

Everyone jumped when Robyn burst through the door and shut it firmly behind her. They knew something terrible had happened as soon as they saw how distressed the girl was. Kit went over to her and practically carried her to a chair to sit her down on, Robyn's breath came in rapid gasps and she was evidently struggling to get it back to normal.

"What happened Princess?" Kit asked despite Robyn's difficulty in breathing.

Before Robyn could even attempt to answer a scream was heard and it sounded like that of a man's. Hearing the scream and fearing to the very depth of her heart that it had come from Sportacus, Robyn surged forwards but was stopped by Ché grabbing her. Robyn resisted Ché's grasp with all the strength she could muster but his grip was like iron and he wouldn't let go.

Whatever residual strength she had depleted Robyn sank to the ground and all of her emotions spilled out at once. Another person she loved lost to a knife attack and this time it was her fault. Utter devastation seared through her very soul and not even the words of comfort spoken to her by Ché or Kit could rekindle the fire of her once vibrant spirit.

Everyone's concern for Sportacus was overridden by that for Robyn. No one had ever seen her like this and it scared them. A lingering hope resided in all of them that Sportacus was unharmed but there was nothing of that sought in Robyn and everyone tried to console her.

All attempts to help Robyn proved fruitless and Kit picked her up and carried her to his room. There was only one person that could help her now and he hoped her father would come through for her. Sleep would also help Robyn a small amount. She was exhausted in every sense of the word and would be able to see things clearer with a clear head.

Kit laid Robyn gently on the bed and gathered the blankets about her. He kissed both of her eye lids and before leaving the room whispered, "Robbie. If you can hear me Robyn needs your help. Please, if you can hear me come here and help her." Without expecting an answer Kit shut the door behind him and went back out into the kitchen.

An unseen form entered the room and looked over the grief-stricken girl in the bed. Closing his eyes against the tears that threatened he walked over to the bed and sat on the edge.

"Daddy's here honey," The form whispered gently.


	7. Trapped

Sportacus raised his head tried to look around him. He was in strange surroundings and was aware of other people in the room with him. There was hardly any light to see by and there were no windows anywhere. Something told him it was day time and he had no idea how long he'd been unconscious. His head pounded like a drum and his neck felt stiff. Ropes were tied about his wrists and ankles tightly preventing him from movement. He closed his eyes and lowered his head again but raised it when he heard a footstep in front of him. Slowly opening his eyes he saw someone standing in front of him.

"Where-where am I?" Sportacus croaked his voice hoarse.

The shadow turned away for a moment and addressed someone in the room, "Get him some water. He's thirsty."

Footsteps could be heard on the other side of the room and a tap was turned on. The footsteps returned and then walked back. Sportacus saw the shadow kneel down in front of him.

A glass was pressed to his lips. "Drink." The voice cooed. It was that of a woman.

Sportacus sipped at the water and resisted the urge to spit it back out. The water was by no means fresh and tasted gritty. Sportacus swallowed it with some difficulty and when he did the glass was taken away.

"Better?" The voice cooed again.

Sportacus nodded.

"Good." The woman stood up, "You're somewhere but we won't say where. Let's just say you're on a vacation. Holidaying with the Shadows isn't something many people get to do."

Sportacus cleared his throat a little, "what do you want from me? You're Aurora aren't you?"

Another white toothy smile touched the woman's face, "yes I am. The only female member of the Shadows and I'm the leader at that. You my little sugar candy are the bait. Little Kitten wouldn't come on his own so he needed some persuasion and you are it. We would have preferred to have gotten the girl but you'll do just as well I suppose. I have to apologise for what Blade did, he gets carried away sometimes and I've told him about having his way with women. He won't harm the girl again, he's dead. Slit down to his gizzards."

Sportacus shook his head. Something about Aurora reminded him of Lily but he couldn't put his finger on what. All he could think of was Lily's way of killing people, when they'd outlived their usefulness she'd kill them just as she had done Doctor Cranium. A cloying fear gripped him when he realised he could suffer the same fate.

"Our poor captive doesn't like people getting killed boys!" Aurora shouted seeing the sickened look on Sportacus' face. "It's a shame! He'll really not like it when we get Kitten and kill him too! The only thing is that he won't have long to dislike it as he'll be dead too!"

Sportacus' head screamed at the loud voices and the pounding increased so much it reached fever pitch and he could no longer grip consciousness.

The only sound in the kitchen of the Mayor's house was that of the kettle boiling. No one had had anything to drink for a while and they were all thirsty. No one had left the house for fear of sharing the same fate as Sportacus. Dawn had broken two hours before and a feeling of safety came with the light of the new day but still no one stirred. No one knew what would be waiting outside for them and no one wanted to imagine.

Kit got up from his chair and stretched before going to check on Robyn. He'd checked on her several times during the night to make sure if she wanted anything or not and that she was ok. Before going into the bedroom he went into the bathroom and filled a glass with water to give to Robyn in case she was thirsty.

Upon entering the room Kit dropped the glass in shock and ran out back into the kitchen.

"She's gone!" Kit exclaimed.

Ché attempted to stand up but remembered what had happened last time, "gone where?"

"If I knew that I wouldn't have dropped the glass and come running in here saying 'she's gone' would I?"

"There's no need for that. She can't have gotten far. I'll look for her with you and everyone stay here."

Pixel stood up and shook his head, "I can help. I have cameras on my house that can see all over town, if she's still in town we'll find her."

The three set off a few seconds later. Ché had to crawl through the front door like he had the previous evening to get in and after stretching went one way to look for Robyn whilst Kit went another and Pixel went to his house.

The minute Pixel logged into his computer alarms sounded indicating the same high levels of psychic energy he'd detected three weeks before when Robyn experienced her father's death. He got his cameras to zoom in on the source of the energy and quickly located Robyn. Leaving his computer logged on to monitor what was happening Pixel left his house to go to where the girl was.

Robyn was standing in front of a tree close to where she'd been attacked the previous night. By the looks of things Robyn hadn't moved from where she'd been when Pixel's cameras found her and he was a little worried. It was only when he saw what was on the ground that he understood why Robyn hadn't moved. A small puddle of blood lay not far from the tree and there was no doubting whose it was.

Ché and Kit soon joined the pair and seeing the blood didn't know what to do. Kit placed a hand on Robyn's back but she didn't react to the touch at all. Her skin felt cold under his hand and he said her name but she didn't respond to that either. Looking at Ché and Pixel with obvious worry he saw that they felt the same.

Suddenly Robyn blinked and spoke as if hypnotised, "I'm in a large room with no windows. It's dark, all the lights are dimmed and there is silence apart from the sound of breathing. They're sleeping. I can hear water and it sounds close, like the sea. There are buoys on the water and boats as well sounding their horns. I'm thirsty but she has the water and my hands are tied. I try breaking the ropes but I'm not strong enough and it hurts. My wrist hurts and I don't know why."

Robyn stopped speaking and began to sink to the ground but Kit caught her and placed her legs over his arm and held her shoulders to carry her. He made his way back to the Mayor's house and a very confused Pixel and Ché followed.

When they'd almost reached the Mayor's house, Pixel ran ahead to open the door for Kit who had his hands full. Everyone stood up when they saw Kit carrying Robyn and everyone wanted to know what had happened. Kit carried Robyn straight into the bedroom and Bessie followed to see if there was anything she could do to help. Ché feebly explained what they'd seen and heard and Pixel helped him out by explaining about the psychic energy floating around and Robyn picking it up before.

Ché looked at Pixel oddly as if he hadn't understood, "are you trying to say the girl's psychic?"

Pixel nodded, "I find it as hard to believe as you but that's the way it is. Her being psychic is the only way she could be affected by the energy like she is. I've researched it since what happened the last time and everything points to the fact that somehow Robyn is able to harness this energy and use it. How she does it and where the 'power' came from I don't know."

"So where does this energy come from?" Ziggy asked trying to get his round all this technical stuff.

Pixel thought for a second and theorised out loud, "I've been monitoring the levels of the energy and there are always low levels which seem to have no effect on anyone. When the energy peaks it has some kind of affect on Robyn and she can see things, hear things and even feel things that have happened. What she was describing must be what Sportacus was seeing, hearing and feeling. He's alive somewhere."

Ché tried to recall what Robyn had said and asked for a piece of paper and a pen. He spoke as he wrote, "Water, sea, ropes, no windows, large room, boats, buoys and boat horns. Wait, I think I know where it is. A harbour, it must be. Where is there a harbour close to here?"

"There are two, Crazytown and Greentown." Kit said walking back into the room. "Crazytown harbour has been abandoned for fifteen years. If they've taken him there we'll find them. No windows and a large room sounds like one of the old warehouses near the harbour. An ideal place to hide out with a captive."

"How's Robyn," Ziggy asked concerned for his friend.

Kit shook his head, "out cold. There is something very wrong. Right now we should be worrying about what we're going to do to rescue Sportacus."

Everyone nodded. Sportacus was in grave danger and needed help.


	8. Fetch

The lights in the warehouse flared into life and Sportacus had to narrow his eyes against the sudden brightness. Once his eyes adjusted to the change in light he looked around him and could see the now four members of the Shadow gang. He could see one of them rifling through a sack as if trying to find something and the others just stood back and watched impatiently.

After a few more minutes of rummaging in the sack the man pulled out: a bunch of bananas, a bunch of grapes and some bread. The other men struggled over the food like a pack of hungry wolves each trying to get more than their fair share. Aurora looked on with a bored countenance as if she'd seen the same thing over and over again.

With obvious impatience Aurora stepped forward and in between the men to break up the squabble and handed out equal shares of the food to everyone. Some food was even laid aside for Sportacus which he found surprising.

Once Aurora had eaten her share of the food she brought Sportacus' share over to him, "What do you want to eat first? I'm going to feed you because we can't afford to loosen those ropes, I'm sure you understand."

Sportacus nodded, he had no choice but to cooperate for now. "Can I have some grapes please?"

Aurora smiled pleasantly obviously unused to manners. Carefully she plucked the remaining grapes from the bunch and put them in Sportacus' mouth one by one. Once Sportacus had finished the grapes he asked for a banana. He was fed with a care he didn't expect to receive especially from someone like Aurora but it was welcome. He could feel the energy from the fruit revive his tired limbs and he felt much better, it wasn't enough for him to attempt to escape just yet but it would do for now.

Kit paced the kitchen impatiently trying to work out a plan for getting Sportacus back. He knew exactly what the Shadows had intended to do by kidnapping Sportacus and knew that either way he'd have to walk into their trap. He didn't want to involve anyone but couldn't rescue Sportacus on his own. Five against one were odds he didn't enjoy and had learnt from experience that it was best to have back up.

The others watched Kit pacing and knew what he was trying to do. As Kit knew the Shadows and knew them well any rescue effort would have to be led by him and they awaited his decision. Eventually Kit stopped pacing and everyone gave him their full attention.

"Here's what I've come up with. I and Ché go. I keep the shadows busy while Ché grabs Sportacus and runs. We get in quick and out quick and worry about other stuff later." Kit explained.

Ché nodded, "sounds like a good plan amigo. How do you plan to keep five people and two dogs busy?"

"I'm the master of diversions. A few tricks here and there, no problem." Kit smiled feeling confident he could keep the Shadows occupied for at least thirty seconds.

"I'm coming with you." Robyn said re-entering the room.

Kit shook his head, "no you're not. Too dangerous. I'm not getting you involved."

"I am involved and you need me. There are at least thirty warehouses on Crazytown harbour and I can tell you exactly which one but I have to be there. You also need to know where everyone is before you go charging into an ambush." Robyn argued.

"She's right. Two people against seven are still dangerous odds. If two of you handle the diversion instead of one it makes my job a lot easier." Ché stated siding with Robyn.

Kit shook his head and sighed, "Ok. You can come but if things get ugly you get out straight away and do as you're told this time."

Robyn smiled faintly.

Calming down a little Kit turned to Robyn again, "how are you feeling anyway?"

"Better. When do we leave?"

"Let me get some bits and pieces out of my bag which we'll need and then we can go," Kit replied.

Ché clapped his hands together and sat up a little more, "great. I'll fire up the airship and I warn you two there better not be melted wax all over my floor."

Saying this Kit smiled cheekily and went to grab the things he'd mentioned from his bag whilst Ché crawled out of the front door to make his way back to his airship. Kit returned seconds later with his whole bag, he explained his hands would be too full if he didn't bring it. With a farewell to everyone and wishes of good luck Kit and Robyn set off on their rescue attempt.

Once everyone was in the airship and it was underway Kit spoke, "I better give you the low down on the members of the gang so you know what to look out for. First we have Aurora. Bit of a fruit cake, doesn't play nice and doesn't play fair. Secondly we have Meat Head, the one who tried to knife me. Six foot seven inches of solid muscle and not much more besides. Not very big in the brain department and easy to distract. Next we have The Surgeon. He tends to be the medic of the group and one of the most dangerous. He knows where to hit and make it hurt so watch your back with him. Blade comes next, likes to have his way with the women even when the women don't want it. He's quite an old man but don't let it fool you; he's faster, stronger and smarter than he looks. Finally we have Tick. Tick is a flea ridden, moth eaten mad man who tends to take a fancy to human meat if you get my meaning. You can't miss him and will know him the minute you see him."

"Sounds like a nice bunch of people," Ché commented whilst flying the airship.

Kit snorted, "Yeah they are. All completely mad but there you go. You've already met one of the dogs, Snatch, but there's another that I mentioned before. This dog is called Cuddles. Don't ask me why a killer dog is called Cuddles because I don't know. Both dogs put together are bad news. Both are capable of ripping a person to pieces and I can't stress to you enough the necessity to not fall over because they will have you for dinner."

Robyn and Ché both nodded. Kit couldn't think of anything else to say that would be of any use and he and Robyn had agreed not to make any plans for the diversion until they knew what the situation was.

Aurora had gone back over to the other Shadows leaving Sportacus alone but guarded by the two Dobermans. Sportacus had the sneaky suspicion that his captors knew what sports candy did for him and were making sure he didn't try anything rash. He felt apprehensive about his fate and what would happen if Kit did come to rescue him. He recalled what Aurora had said and knew that if Kit came they'd both die. Sportacus also knew that if Kit didn't come he would be killed and wished fervently that if he did try to escape he'd get out in piece.

Sportacus watched as an obscure looking man ambled awkwardly towards him. The man looked disgustingly dirty and had little black dots jumping all over him which Sportacus found to be fleas when the man got closer. Muscling in between the sleeping dogs the man got down on all fours and placed himself very closely to Sportacus and inspected him. Sportacus had to hold his breath when the dirty man came near him as his breath smelt rancid and the rest of him didn't smell much better either.

The dirty man sniffed Sportacus all around his head and pulled off Sportacus' cap to smell underneath that to just as a dog would. Obviously satisfied that Sportacus smelt alright he stuck out an unusually pointed tongue and licked Sportacus' face.

"This is a good one Aurora. A very good one. Tastes good. Let me have him." The man laughed excitedly.

Aurora stood up, "Tick leave him alone. Do all that when he's dead. You can have Kitten too."

Tick shook his head violently, "he won't come. Kitten won't come. Too scared. Let me have him now! Let me have him now!"

"Wait!" Aurora shouted loudly, "We'll give Kitten one more hour. If he doesn't come by then you can have him."

"NO! I WANT HIM NOW!" Tick bellowed and in his frustration hit Sportacus squarely across the face.

Aurora wouldn't stand for this and looking at Tick sympathetically spoke slowly so he'd understand her better, "First we had six members, now five and in a few moments we'll have one less. You disobey me Tick and this is the last time you'll ever do it."

Tick looked terrified, he knew what was coming.

"Snatch. Cuddles. Fetch." Aurora spoke the three fatal words with deliberate slowness and kept her eyes fixed on Tick's the whole time.

Tick tried to get up but was too slow. In an instant the two dogs leapt upon him and dragged him away from Sportacus before ripping into their prey.

In seconds the man that had been Tick was no more than a bloody pulp. He hadn't even had time to cry out before his life ended.


	9. The rescue

Robyn gasped for breath and tried to fight her impulse to retch. She'd seen Tick being killed and what was left over and it had sickened her. Kit sat next to her concerned and rubbed her back trying to ease her problems. After a few moments Robyn's breathing calmed and her stomach stopped doing somersaults. Kit hugged her gently and she rested her head on his shoulder.

"You ok?" Kit whispered in Robyn's ear.

Robyn shook her head, "one of the Shadows got torn to pieces by the dogs and I saw it. I think it was Tick but I can't be sure."

"How many are there now?" Kit asked both interested and sickened by what he'd been told.

Robyn closed her eyes and tried to remember, "Three." She said at last.

Kit was surprised. Robyn had only mentioned seeing Tick being killed so someone else must have died before. Three against three made things a lot more even and if Sportacus was unharmed they'd have no trouble at all getting out. The only thing that tipped the scales against them was the two dogs but Ché was worth two or three men in himself.

On the approach to Crazytown Harbour Kit took out of his bag all the things he wouldn't need. He kept in some juggling equipment, his throwing knives and a length of rope which also served as a tight rope on occasion when he tried to refine his skills. The juggling equipment would serve as part of the diversion and the rope could be used to tie up any members of the Shadow gang that attempted escape. His throwing knives were for self defence and again for part of the diversion.

Robyn concentrated and tried to pick up the connection she'd had with Sportacus. She didn't know how to go about this and hoped it would come to her as it had done before. Upon flying over the harbour she knew instantly where Sportacus was and let everyone else know. Ché stopped piloting and engaged the airbrake to stop the airship going anywhere while they were attempting their rescue.

After wishing each other good luck they quitted the airship and prepared for what could be a hard fight.

Snatch growled alerting his mistress to trouble. Aurora looked up to the ceiling of the warehouse when she heard footsteps which sounded like they were coming from the roof. She couldn't begin to fathom how someone would get on the roof of a warehouse when the only access to it was on the inside. Looking at Meat Head Aurora gestured that he should investigate.

Meat Head walked over to the metal ladder at the far end of the warehouse which was at the opposite end to where Sportacus was. He climbed the ladder gingerly as it squeaked and screamed under his weight and its age. Reaching the top of the ladder Meat Head pushed open a hatch to the roof and climbed out closing the hatch behind him.

The two remaining Shadows jumped in shock when the warehouse doors burst open and a giant emerged. The giant smiled and looked at them, "My name is Ché. I believe you have my friend here and I've come to take him back."

Aurora looked to her two dogs and issued her fatal order but neither one would obey. They were too frightened by the sheer size of the man that had walked in. After a few more orders to attack Cuddles built up the courage to obey his mistress and did as he was bade. With his companion gone to attack Snatch followed by example and ran after him.

Ché was prepared for the dogs and knocked both aside when they leapt for him. Though phased the dogs attempted to attack again but were once again knocked aside. Satisfied that the dogs had been beaten for now Ché ignored the two shadows and walked over to grab Sportacus his long strides getting him there as fast as a runner would. Ché was about to break Sportacus' bonds when he felt a sharp pain in his right shoulder. He turned his head to see where it had come from and saw a knife sticking out of his shoulder and The Surgeon smiling at him.

The Surgeon ripped the knife from Ché's shoulder and was about to imbed it fatally into Ché's minorly injured body when a knife flew into his own shoulder painfully. The Surgeon cried out and tried feebly to remove the knife but to no avail.

Aurora looked to see where the errant knife had come from and saw Kit on the ladder.

"Kitten!" She shouted with surprised triumph.

Kit nodded and dropped himself down from the ladder and went into a parachute roll when he reached the ground. The two dogs recovered themselves and decided that Kit was a much easier target than the giant. They began to stalk up to him growling and baring their teeth but ground to a halt when Meat Head fell from the hatch in the ceiling and landed on the ground in front of Kit. Meat Head was injured but not fatally so and Aurora looked up to see how he could have been stupid enough to have fallen through hatch. Aurora was very surprised to see Robyn sitting on the edge of the hatch looking down at her.

The Surgeon was still struggling to remove the knife Kit had thrown in his shoulder and Ché was getting fed up with the man's whining and pulled the knife out for him before landing a punch on the man's head effectively knocking him out. Once he'd taken care of The Surgeon Ché snapped Sportacus' ropes easily and making sure Sportacus was ok went back to deal with the two dogs.

Aurora looked around her and could see she was surrounded. Snatch and Cuddles betrayed their mistress and ran out of the still open doors. Sportacus, Ché and Kit were advancing on her and she thought quickly how to get out of this situation. The only thing she could think of was reaching the ladder and climbing up as fast as she could. One thing was stopping her making it to the roof though and that was Robyn.

With lightning fast speed Aurora unsheathed her knife and threw it upwards at Robyn to the great shock of everyone. The knife barely missed the girl's throat but caused her to overbalance and she fell through the open hatch and hit the ground with a sickening thud.


End file.
